It is known in the timber industry, to use sawing systems with lateral guiding elements for guiding successive planks towards cutting tools used for sawing each one of the planks into smaller planks or boards.
For example and without being limitative, U.S. Pat. No. 7,536,939 issued May 26, 2009, teaches an apparatus and a method for guiding and driving a plank along a transfer path to assist in curve sawing of the plank, based on at least one parameter thereof. In order to perform such guiding and driving of the planks along the transfer path and towards cutting tools, the apparatus includes evaluation means evaluating the plank and generating a signal indicative of at least one parameter of the plank; a platform with at least one support plate displaceable transversally with regards to the transfer path of the plank, in response to the signal by the evaluation means; first and second guides, each comprising guide and drive elements mounted on the platform and arranged in opposed configuration laterally relative to the transfer path of the plank, the guide and drive elements of the first guide being displaceable at an angle with respect to the transfer path and the guide and drive elements of the second guide being substantially parallel to the transfer path and displaceable transversally with regards to the transfer path; and displacing means for displacing the guide and drive elements of the first and second guides. The evaluation means, support plates, first and second guides, and displacing means cooperating with one another to guide and drive the plank along the transfer path and towards the cutting tools, in response to the signal from the evaluating means.
However, known systems tend to suffer from several drawbacks. For example, known apparatuses for guiding and driving a plank along a transfer path to assist in curve sawing of the plank commonly use a mechanical connector (e.g. a mechanical connection including a hydraulic actuator, a temposonic actuator or the like) directly connecting the support plates onto which the first and second guides positioned on each side of the transfer path are mounted, for performing auto-centering of the support plates and the corresponding first and second guides. In operation, the mechanical connector directly connecting the support plates can lead to an auto-centering mechanism not having the desired precision. Moreover, the mechanical connector directly connecting the support plates is generally required to be locked to a desired length defining the spacing between the support plate, before engagement of the first and second guides with a plank, and remain in the locked length for the time period of the first and second guides with a plank, in order to prevent auto-centering problems.
In view of the above, there is a need for an improved apparatus for curve sawing of a plank which, by virtue of its design and components, would be able to overcome or at least minimize some of the above-discussed prior art concerns.